Carrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies and Holster for Carrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns two distinct components related to dental hygiene. The first is a dental hygiene carrying case that has been specially designed to hold various dental supplies. The second part of the invention is a holster unit that is used to support (hold) the carrying case.

The present invention has two distinct components.

The first of the two components of the invention is a “Carrying Case forDental Hygiene Supplies.” The carrying case has compartments that havebeen specially designed to accommodate dental hygiene supplies. Thecompartment walls are elongated upward such that when the lid is closedthe supplies cannot move to the other compartments, keeping the suppliesrelatively stationary in their space. There are three separatecompartments that are designed for various dental supplies. The longestsection will hold a toothbrush and tube-style toothpaste. The smallestcompartment is designed to hold floss and a collapsible rinsing cup. Themiddle size compartment is designed to add flexibility to the box. Themiddle size compartment will hold toothpaste that is not of thetube-style and other dental supplies the user will designate such asrinse, mouthwash and toothpicks. The user will take the supplies out ofthe case to use them and then put them back for storage. This case hasample room for the user and is made convenient for travel or use athome, work and school. The case has a hinge which allows the case to beconveniently opened by the user to use the supplies. The case also hasdesign elements such as a rounded edge on the top, an arched bottom, anda convenient size which make it easy to carry. The overall size of thecase is approximately 7.9 inches long by 5 inches wide and 2 inchesdeep.

The second of the two components of the invention is a “Holster forCarrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies.” The holster serves thepurpose of storing the dental hygiene carrying case so that the user ismore organized with their dental supply carrying case. The holster canalso serve as a reminder for teeth brushing, as the user can place theholster in an area designated by the user such that the holster can beviewed, and is a reminder to brush their teeth and have better dentalhygiene overall.

The holster is designed to attach to a wall, wall unit, locker, cubicle,desk or desktop, inside a drawer or cabinet, or other such places as auser would deem convenient for storing their dental supplies. Theholster is designed to attach to these various places using variousmethods not limited to mounting tape, hook and loop devices, glue ornails. A “Carrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies” (as described inthe first part of the invention) is placed in the holster for storagewhen the dental supplies are not being used. When the user would like touse the supplies or would like to remove the carrying case for travel,the carrying case is taken out of the holster. The holster isspecifically designed to hold the carrying case (as described in thefirst part of the invention), and is designed to allow the carrying caseto be easily placed in or taken out of the holster. In addition, thebottom of the holster has openings that serve two purposes, the first ofwhich is to allow for any moisture that has collected on the carryingcase to ventilate and the second purpose of the holes at the bottom ofthe holster is to allow the user, if they wish, to push their fingersthrough the bottom of the holster in an upward motion to help remove thecarrying case from the holster. The overall size of the holster isapproximately 9 inches wide, 7 inches tall and 2.8 inches deep at thebase to hold the carrying case.

Claims for the “Carrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies”-11

Claims for the “Holster for Carrying Case for Dental HygieneSupplies”-8.

Total Claims for Invention-19

Combined Drawings for Invention-6

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objects below are presented in summary fashion and it is theintention of the inventor that these are to be read with the entirepatent document and that the document is to be taken as a whole.

The current invention overcomes the difficulties in the prior art byproviding a dental hygiene carrying case that is specific for dentalsupplies and holds the supplies in a relatively stationary positionwithin the case by using walls that go to the top of the case when thecase is shut. The case provides the aforementioned compartments yetgives flexibility to the user for their own dental supplies as there area variety of supplies on the market.

Another object of the carrying case is to provide a design which allowsthe user to easily carry the case by providing a size, an arched bottomelement and a rounded top that allows the user to easily carry the unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holster unit for thecarrying case to allow the user to be organized with their dentalsupplies. The holster unit is attached to a place designated by the userand remains stationary in that designated space. The user will take thecarrying case out of the holster, use the supplies, and return thecarrying case to the holster when they are done. This allows the user tohave a place designated for the supplies and have them readily availablefor use.

The overall objective of the invention is to promote better oral hygieneby providing an improved carrying case and holster system for teethbrushing for use in the workplace, school, home and travel. It is theobjective of the current invention that the user will use the carryingcase and holster on a daily basis and not be limited to travel, althoughit is also suitable for travel.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

The prior art includes primarily carrying cases for toiletries whichinclude dental, as well as other general hygiene supplies and smallertravel kits for dental supplies. The present invention is totally uniquefrom these types of inventions in its form and functionality. First Iwill describe the prior art because it has a bearing on the dentalhygiene field, then I will explain how nothing in the prior art comesclose to the current invention's form and function. Each of theinventions in the prior art has at least one element of the currentinvention, but none has enough elements to even compare to the currentinvention which makes the current invention a totally new dental hygienecarrying system.

There are several previous inventions related to carrying cases fortoiletries in general and some have compartment that are large enough tohold dental hygiene supplies. Inventions of these types includeStanfield U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,924 which includes a carrying case andallows ease of opening the case and keeps the objections stationary.This invention is not specific to dental supplies however. Also, thisinvention allows little flexibility for the user to define whichsupplies they choose. Also Schlaszus U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,307 is anotherexample of a toiletry case with various compartments that is good fortravel. It is not specific to dental care, nor does it give flexibilityto the user as the compartments are preset.

Simister U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,732 is an example of a carrying case thatis designed specifically for dental hygiene supplies. Although it hascompartments and some flexibility for the user; it is shaped more like abottle which makes it distinctly different from the current invention asthe current invention has a box-like shape. Simister U.S. Pat. No.6,484,732 has a shape that makes it easier to hold than some otherinventions; however the present invention has a revolutionary designthat makes it easy to carry and adds the element of organization that islacking in Simister U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,732.

Another carrying case designed specifically for dental supplies isWright U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,253. This case has several sections fordental supplies but does not seem to accommodate the types of dentalsupplies currently on the market with the various compartments. AlsoWright U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,253 does not have the design components ofthe present invention which make it easy to carry. These are specificfeatures the present invention has overcome.

Also, in the last several years, patents have been submitted that try tostore the supplies in as small a unit as possible, such as Bodwalk U.S.Pat. No. 6,526,991 claiming a dental hygiene kit that is the size of awriting pen and also US Patent Application US2004/0107524 Kazmi whichalso has a latch so that it can attach to a shirt pocket. Manfredi U.S.Pat. No. 4,527,574 claims a small travel size compact kit. These patentstry to make the case small enough to fit into small spaces such as apurse or even a pocket for traveling, which are good goals for theirparticular inventions. The present invention does not seek to fit intothis type of design and is totally unique in its construction. Thecurrent invention can be used as a travel kit, but that is not itsprimary function, therefore it does not seek to make the case small, butrather seeks to provide ample space for dental hygiene supplies and makethe process of teeth brushing organized and enjoyable by providingelements of organization when the user stores the carrying case in theholster device. The present invention is not seeking to provide any unitthat is so small that the user would even call it a compact travel kit.The user may choose to travel with the present invention even though itis larger than most travel kits, because the user may like the otherfeatures of the present invention as mentioned in the claims.

Lastly, in the prior art there are some units that have components thatattach to a wall. These types of inventions allow sanitation oftoothbrushes and allow organization such as Herren U.S. Pat. No.6,776,296 that holds four toothbrushes on a wall unit and Harris U.S.Pat. No. 3,977,743 that holds a single toothbrush and also attaches to awall unit and can be removed for travel. These patents offer theorganization for single toothbrushes and allow the user to get theirtoothbrush easily, but it lacks the organization of the entire suppliesneeded to brush teeth that the present invention supplies. These typesof inventions also do not come near to having elements of the presentinvention, but are worth mentioning in prior art.

No one, to the inventor's knowledge, has combined a carrying case thathas a stationary holster that can be placed on a wall, wall unit,locker, desk or desktop, or other such place the user determines and ismade specifically for the carrying case for the dental hygiene carryingcase. There were many attempts to find this prior art, but not could befound.

In the prior art there are dental kits and dental cases that seek tomeet various objectives but none that provide the user with a carryingcase with ample room for their dental supplies, with the layout anddesign components that have been attained in the present invention,along with a holster unit to allow the user to attach the carrying caseto their designated space. The components of the present invention makeit unique from all the prior art in its form and function such that itis considered a new and unique carrying case and holster system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of the “Carrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies”showing the box closed. This view shows the rounded edge on the top, thehinge and the overall look of the box.

FIG. 2 is a view of the “Carrying Case for Dental Hygiene Supplies”showing the box open. This view shows the compartments and the elongatedwalls which keep the supplies in a semi-stationary manner.

FIG. 3 is a view of the “Holster for Carrying Case for Dental HygieneSupplies” showing the unit is made of two parts that snap together.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the “Holster for Carrying Case for DentalHygiene Supplies”.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the “Holster for Carrying Case for DentalHygiene Supplies” showing the openings at the bottom.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the “Carrying Case for Dental HygieneSupplies” placed inside of the “Holster for Carrying Case for DentalHygiene Supplies”.

1. Case is subdivided into compartments specifically designed to holddental supplies.
 2. The compartments are designed to hold specificsupplies, but include some flexibility for the user to determine whichdental supplies the user would like to include.
 3. The compartments aredesigned to have flexibility for a variety of sizes of toothbrushes,toothpaste, floss, rinse and rinsing cup. This box is designed toaccommodate a wide variety of dental supplies. The user will determinewhat supplies are needed for their particular needs and may also includeother supplies not mentioned.
 4. The sides of the compartments extendhigh enough such that when the box is closed the dental supplies willnot move from one compartment to another.
 5. The case is designed withthree compartments that hold various dental supplies.
 6. The longestsection will hold a toothbrush and tube-style toothpaste. The smallestcompartment is designed to hold floss and a collapsible rinsing cup. Themiddle size compartment will hold toothpaste that is not of thetube-style and other dental supplies the user will designate such asrinse, mouthwash and toothpicks. The user will take the supplies out ofthe case to use and then put them back for storage.
 7. The box hasdesign components that make the box easy to hold and to carry.
 8. Two ofthe special design components are a rounded edge on the top of the boxwhich aids in making the case easy to hold and a slight arch on thebottom of the box which in conjunction with the rounded top, makes thecase easy to carry.
 9. The bottom of the box has four small rounded dotsthat serve as feet. These dots help to raise the box, such that when itsits on a washbasin or surface, it is easy to remove from the surface.10. The case has a hinge which allows the user to open the box toconveniently remove the dental supplies when needed.
 11. The case isdesigned to have ample room for the user's dental supplies and is madeconvenient for travel or use at home, work and school. The overall sizeof the case is approximately 7.9 inches long by 5 inches wide and 2inches deep.
 12. A holster unit for holding a carrying case for dentalsupplies.
 13. The holster unit can attach semi-permanently orpermanently to surfaces such as walls, wall units, desk, desktops,lockers, or other places the user may choose using various methods forattachment including mounting tape, hook and loop supplies, nails, glueor various other mounting options.
 14. The carrying unit for dentalsupplies is removed from the holster when the user goes to the washroomto brush their teeth, travels, or otherwise chooses to remove thecarrying case for their teeth brushing needs.
 15. The holster unitserves the purpose of holding the “Carrying Case for Dental HygieneSupplies.” The overall size of the holster is approximately 9 incheswide, 7 inches tall, and 2.8 inches deep at the base to hold thecarrying case.
 16. The holster unit serves the purpose of overallhelping the user to keep their dental supplies organized and out the wayonce the user has used the supplies, and it keeps them out of the wayuntil the user chooses to use them again.
 17. The holster unit servesthe purpose of reminding the user to brush their teeth as the userdetermines a place for the holster that, at the user's option, can beplaced in an area within eyesight so that the user is reminded to brushtheir teeth especially after meals. The holster unit can also be placedin hidden areas, such as in a cabinet, drawer, or other place if theuser so decides.
 18. The holster unit has holes in the bottom, shaped astriangles, which serve the purpose of allowing for any moisture that maybe on the carrying case to ventilate.
 19. The holes in the bottom of theholster unit allow the user, if they wish, to push their fingers throughthe bottom of the holster to push the carrying case upward to helpremove the carrying case from the holster unit.